Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
STRONG
For That SICK
By FRED E. KUNKEL
MEDICINE
ACCOUNT
Treatment to Kill or Cure It
T
WE ARE CALLING
H E starting point of the treatment of sick accounts
employed by a music dealer who acts as a diagnostician
Your Attention Again To The Fact That
of ailing debtors is just as soon as a diagnosis of the
Your Account Is Past Due!
account reveals that the debtor is running a temperature
Just call us back if you can't pay now,
for not paying his account on the due date. This music
and tell us why—we will make all
merchandiser does not believe in letting a few weeks elapse
reasonable allowances.
before he gets out his branding irons. He uses the whip
Or just mail us a check, in whole or
just as soon as the account begins to show the earmarks of
in part—but do it today!
falling behind or drifting into the slacker column.
DON'T WAIT AGAIN UNTIL TOMORROW!
Under existing conditions, of course, drastic action on col-
On
each
side of this printed form is the picture of a man
lections must be tempered with reason. Nevertheless, while
there are many customers who have been forced to ignore facing to the right on the left-hand side talking into a tele-
their obligations temporarily through lack of funds, there phone—and facing to the left on the right-hand side, as if
are just as many or more who
two men were talking to-
- -
gether over the telephone.
are opportunists, and not
„ , . , , . . . , , • • , . , , , . , • , • • , , .TT-
If the debtor fails to call
above taking advantage of the
back or send in a check in
situation to hold up on pay-
Energetic collection methods were never so
five more days, out goes re-
ments that they are quite able
minder
No. 5, which is a
to make. The latter class is
important as right now. On them rest the
sticker showing one hand
the one that presents the real
ultimate success of the music merchants' busi-
dropping coins into the itch-
collection problem.
ing palm of another hand,
The
first
statement is
ness. Drastic action against the slacker does
with the words printed in
mailed out at the regular
bold faced type:
not prevent consideration for the unfortunate.
billing time for all instalment
payments due, but the account
PLEASEI
TODAY!
that is running a little behind
- ~ - ^
^ ^ ^ . ^ ^ , ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
==±=*=*s^^fc*^^^
TOMORROW MAY BE TOO LATE!
has the statement rubber-
stamped across the face: "Do
This naturally starts the
It Now!"
debtor to guessing what is coming next, should he disregard
Five days later, if the debtor hasn't done it, a second
this last and final token or summons to pay up. It is all
statement is mailed, with a little yellow sticker pasted on it,
done as a "parting shot" of the statement method of collecting
which is printed in brown ink and reads: This Account Is on the account and to bring up the debtor with a jerk, dan-
Long Past the Due Date—How About that Check Today? gling on the end of a rope of suppressed doubt and fear.
If payment or a check doesn't arrive in five days more,
"Of course, any one of the series of 'reminders,' may gen-
out goes another statement with this printed memo "pinned"
erally be counted on to bring home the mustard," says this
on the invoice:
music merchant, "as most of these delinquents simply need
prodding in this way. However, after the fifth statement is
ADVISORY MEMO!
mailed out it becomes apparent that only hard-boiled eggs
are left in the jackpot, and so now the worming process sets
Lest You Forget!
in for screwing a part payment out of them, at least, if not
Non-payment is no doubt an oversight.
the total amount of the bill. And so now the letter series
May we count on that check by return mail?
begins, collection letter No. 1 being sent out within five days,
which reads as follows:
THANK YOU!
"We want a check of some kind:
This is printed in red ink on a white memo, bordered
"Either a real check, or a pencil check in one of the hollow
with a heavy blue line.
squares. We would like to know just where we stand, so
If a payment is not made or a check does not come within just check up on your bank book today and drop us a real
the next five days and nothing is heard from the delinquent
check into the mails tomorrow, or check the blocks below and
debtor, out goes statement No. 4, with this printed sticker
drop this letter into the nearest mail box tonight—using the
attached, done in green ink:
{Please turn to Page 10)
THE MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW,
March, 1932